Ag Minute: ICYMI: Revisiting the Case for Biotech Wheat

Saturday

Sep 21, 2013 at 4:00 PM

Though fears about the market impact of an isolated GM wheat discovery earlier in the year have largely passed, concerns about the impact on the wheat industry of more-competitive biotech corn and soybean crops remain. That’s the main message of a column entitled “The Case for Biotech Wheat,” penned by Idaho Wheat Commission Executive Director Blaine Jacobson and published recently in the Idaho Business Review. In his piece, Jacobson describes the erosion of wheat acres even in parts of the country, like his home state, where the crop has long dominated. This shifting preference for crop acres is reflected in grocery store products, Jacobson said, with food manufacturers showing a preference for corn-based products because of that crop’s supply and cost advantage. Though this piece was written for a local audience and reflects local concerns, it describes the national effort to bring biotech wheat to the marketplace over time to help restore the crop’s competitiveness. The full column is online at http://idahobusinessreview.com/2013/09/09/the-case-for-biotech-wheat/.